1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ratchet wrench, and more particularly to a ratchet wrench having a structure of simple components and featuring a convenient application.
2. Description of the Related Art
With reference to FIG. 7 for a conventional closed ratchet wrench, the wrench includes a closed ratchet 61 having a hole 62 for sheathing a screw element such as a bolt or a nut, a latch element 64 installed in a slot 63 of the wrench and engaged with the ratchet 61, an elastic element 65 for supporting and propping the latch element 64 to control the ratchet 61 to be rotated in a direction repeatedly.
With reference to FIG. 8 for another conventional opening ratchet wrench, the wrench includes a C-shaped jaw 71, a non-closed ratchet 72 contained in the jaw 71, and a latch element 73 included between the jaw 71 and the ratchet 72 and an elastic element 74, wherein the latch element 73 is propped and pushed by the elastic element 74 to control the ratchet 72 to turn in a direction repeatedly.
Although the closed ratchet wrench can use the ratchet 61 with more teeth around its external circumference to rotate with a smaller angle reciprocally, users have to sheathe the ratchet 61 vertically around the external periphery of a workpiece, but cannot sheathe the ratchet 61 sideway to the external periphery of the workpiece, so that such ratchet wrench cannot be operated in a special space such as a nut installed onto a pipeline, and thus giving rise to an inconvenient operation.
As to the opening ratchet wrench, users can sheathe the ratchet 61 sideway to the external periphery of the workpiece, but both of the conventional ratchet wrenches come with a complicated structure and require additional components such as the latch elements 64, 73 for controlling and driving the ratchet as well as a more complicated manufacturing process.
In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed a ratchet wrench in accordance with the present invention.